Water nor suppose be luxury — but in Ekpoma, Edo State, it has become a daily hustle for thousands of residents. From waking up as early as 4am to join long queues with jerrycans, to buying water like fuel from private vendors, the struggle for clean water is as real as it gets.

For a community that hosts one of Nigeria’s prominent institutions, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), many are asking: Why is a whole university town still battling something as basic as clean water?

Daily Survival in Ekpoma

Residents say water scarcity has become part of life. Many rely on:

• Long-distance treks to fetch water

• Crowded queues at the few public boreholes

• Expensive water purchases from tanker suppliers

• Homes and hostels rationing water just to survive

According to several students and locals, some boreholes produce only trickles, while others have completely dried up due to overuse and poor maintenance.

Why Ekpoma Still Lacks Clean Water

Investigations and community reports point to multiple issues:

1. Failing public water infrastructure

2. Overpopulation and increased pressure from student communities

3. Insufficient government investment in water projects

4. High cost of drilling new boreholes

5. Seasonal dryness affecting underground water levels

These problems combined have left Ekpoma residents depending largely on private boreholes and water vendors who often inflate prices.

The Economic Burden on Residents

Many households spend a significant part of their income buying water. Students complain that the cost of living in Ekpoma keeps rising as water scarcity worsens. Some depend on neighbours with boreholes; others form daily queues hoping to get even a small supply.

For many, water is no longer a basic necessity — it is now a daily expense.

How People Are Coping

Despite the hardship, the people of Ekpoma have developed survival strategies:

• Early morning water hunts

• Community-sharing systems

• Buying and storing in large drums

• Hostel managers drilling private boreholes

• Social media advocacy to draw government attention

Hashtags like #TeddyTheExplorer, #Ekpoma, #AAU, and #BoreholeDrilling have begun trending as residents continue to demand long-term solutions.

Calls for Government Intervention

Residents and activists are urging both state and local authorities to:

• Rehabilitate abandoned water projects

• Build new sustainable water systems

• Partner with experts to expand borehole access

• Ensure clean, safe water reaches all neighbourhoods

• Address the rising exploitation by private vendors

Ekpoma’s people say the time for temporary fixes is over. What they need is a permanent, reliable water supply.

Conclusion

The Ekpoma water crisis highlights a painful reality: access to clean water remains a daily battle in a town that should not be struggling with such a basic requirement. From students to families and business owners, everyone is feeling the weight.

Until real solutions come, Ekpoma will continue to rely on resilience, community effort, and advocacy to survive the ongoing water scarcity.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Teddy The Explorer 🧭 (@big_tddy)